This invention concerns a package according to the preamble of claim 1. It also concerns a method of heat treatment of such a package in accordance with the preamble of claim 7.
Among the various known packages for soft and fluid products the flexible tube type package is the most uncomplicated and most cost-effective type. It is successfully used for technical products as well as food products, particularly when the product needs to be heat-treated after filling. The cylindrical shape result in a strong package capable of resisting an inner overpressure, and it brings about the smallest possible material demand. The flexible tube type package suffers, however, from being rather difficult to open, not being reclosable and further not allowing simple handling when emptying the contents. Even if the drawbacks have been diminished by the presence of a lid according to the Swedish Patent No. 9302371-1, essential problems remain which have found there solution by the present invention. The invention is mainly characterized in that a flexible tube type package at one of its ends is provided with a thin collar of a semi-rigid material such as cardboard or a soft plastic being arranged such that the filled package can be placed standing with one edge of the collar resting against a support surface. Stiffer materials may however, be used for the collar. In a particular embodiment, the package is surrounded by a round jar or an open pipe, the inner dimensions of which fitting to the diameter of the collar, and a lid provided with a sharp point. A method of filling and a method of heat treatment is also included. The invention will be described in greater detail in the following with the reference to the annexed drawings, wherein: